By now you have received your 2023 Notice of Value, and perhaps a Notice of Determination, and had a chance to absorb the shock of the results of this reassessment, which updated our valuations from a June 2020 Appraisal Date to a June 2022 Appraisal Date. That study period experienced the largest increase in the residential real estate market for any reappraisal period in our state’s history, which resulted in the largest increases to assessments ever, and the highest rate of appeal. The results of this reappraisal are extreme, and everywhere. Double digit, sometimes triple digit increases occurred statewide, as well as records appeal levels.
The impact of this situation is dramatic, far reaching, and is an enormous concern to property owners throughout the state. I have had hundreds, maybe thousands of conversations about this subject, and I know that our citizens have questions regarding valuations, appeals, mill levies, taxes and so on. Some of the most common questions I receive are regarding appealing your property assessment. On this site we hope to address most of the frequently asked questions regarding your valuation appeal and the recently published Notice of Determination.
I hope that this FAQ will answer some of your questions regarding assessment appeals. We will continue to add information to this section as common questions come up regarding 2023 Notice of Determinations. Your Douglas County Assessor team strives to be engaged with citizens, transparent with information, and considerate, competent, and effective in customer service. If you have additional questions, I invite you watch any of our Douglas County Townhalls regarding property taxes (https://www.douglas.co.us/board-county-commissioners/meetings/live-town-halls) or to call our office at 303-660-7450, or to visit us online at douglas.co.us/assessor. We are here to assist you.
A Notice of Determination (NOD) which provides the appeal decision and basic decision reason was mailed on August 15 and published online. An appeal summary which provides a basic summary of the appeal through the appraiser viewpoint was also published online, however was not included in the mailing. In the case of residential appeals, a comparable adjustment grid which provides the principal analysis performed by staff, is also included online. Online documents related to assessment appeal can be found by going to www.douglas.co.us/assessor, searching for the property address, and when to the property details page, scrolling down to documents.
The first level of appeal, Assessor Protest, concluded on June 8. For the last several weeks our staff have been going through the protests, completing the reviews. Decisions (NODs) were mailed via a USPS on August 15. The next level of appeal is County Board of Equalization. Directions for filing on to the CBOE are provided on the back of the NOD, or you can visit their website at www.douglas.co.us/cboe.
According to state statutes, residential properties must be valued solely by the market approach, using comparable verified sales from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022 for the 2023 reappraisal. These same statutes require the adjustment of sale prices within this study period to the end of the data period June 30, 2022. We analyzed over 25,434 sales of residential homes, which took place between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022 to establish the residential time trend adjustments. Time Trend Adjustments are applied using this formula:
Amount of time adjustment = number of months from date of sale to June 2022 * percentage change per month * adjusted sale price
Time adjusted sales price = amount of time adjustment + adjusted sales price.
(The adjusted sales price is the contractual price adjusted for personal property and financing)
The easier value corrections come from correcting errors, such as, we had basement finish on the property record, but it was never completed. So, we take it off, and reduce the value accordingly.
The most common reasons to file an appeal, however, are either to reduce taxes, or because simply, the value is too high. In all cases of appeal our staff will pull comparable sales from the study period, adjust for differences in characteristics to the subject, and use that to determine whether the value can be decreased. Finally, sometimes we’re told something about the house, or one of our comps, or the neighborhood that makes a big difference. Bottom line question being asked in this process is, could this property have sold for this amount in June 2022?
Yes, here is a list:
This year we will not visit residences unless it was requested and absolutely required. We do not take the comps provided by a petitioner and use them exclusively in the analysis, but they will be considered.
Please check out the general Assessor FAQs
Information about the upcoming ballot measure impacting property taxes. Proposition HH would make various changes to state property taxes and changes to state revenue limits.
The County Board of Equalization (CBOE) is the second level of appeal following the Douglas County Assessor Protest each year. A taxpayer may choose to appeal the decision of the Assessor’s office to the CBOE.
A brief but detailed explanation of what T.A.S.P. (Time Adjusted Sales Price) is and how and why it's used in the appraisal process to determine your property's value.
